Weigh-in Week 24

Today is a weigh in day and when I stepped on the scale this morning there was this voice in my head that told me I was going to gain some weight this week. I didn't do too bad in the eating department but I did have one meal of Americanized Chinese food (and I didn't stop at eating only half like I said I would) and I did have a couple cookies. What worried me was my lack of really tough work-outs this week. I had one really great 90 minute work out and a good 60 minute work-out but that was it for the week.

Well it is weigh day so I stepped on the scale and was pleasantly surprised to see 192.2 appear between my pink freshly painted toe nails. I little over a pound gone since last week (1.2 to be exact) and I am happy with that.

What will next week hold? I have no clue right now I am just hoping I can get in at least two 90 minute workouts and two 60 minute work outs. I am sure there will be cookies and cakes galore at work this week and my goal is to not eat any food at work that I didn't bring in myself.

BTW... The photo doesn't have anything to do with anything my blog was just feeling a bit boring this morning. I don't take enough photos which means I don't post enough interesting images on my blog which probably gets a little boring so I added a chair of puppies this morning. Is there anything cuter than a chair of Golden Retriever puppies?

160 days

This is week 23 and to recap after Thanksgiving I was up a pound hovering just below the 200 pound mark at 199.8. Last week I completely forgot to weigh myself and then decided I would skip it.

OK... now we are updated. This week I was back on the scale and it showed 193.4, that is a 6.4 pond loss over the weeks since Thanksgiving. Losing weight during December what a novel idea I don't think I have ever done that before. I am totally enjoying myself this holiday but having the ability to shop in "Normal" stores does have it's dangers. When I go Christmas shopping I tend to spend a little too much time looking for things for myself and that has put me three presents behind. How many days until Christmas? WAIT... don't tell me, I don't want to know.

I am also making the guys on my crew very happy because I have had this urge to bake Christmas cookies... I don't know why I guess I just think a house should smell like cookies during the Holidays. I have baked twice this week and instead of having the entire 2 dozen to eat myself I had one and then packed up the rest for the crew at work. They seem to enjoy them.

I bought two very cute skirts are Goodwill this week... one is a size 12 and the other a size 10. When I got home I decided I would try on the size 12 skirt, figuring I wouldn't be able to get it pulled over my butt. Surprisingly it pulled all the way up but couldn't zip it yet... next month I'll be wearing it.

The Hot 100 goals

Running 10K is happily complete... I have run the 10K route about 5 times in the last two weeks so I am considering that goal accomplished.

Being under 200 pounds also happily complete... unless I go off the deep end and eat nothing but cheesecake and potato chips this week I think I can stay under 200 pounds. I am hoping to be in the 180's by the new year.

I am off to grocery shopping and if you are looking for some great food ideas head over to A Forty-Somethings Weight Loss Journey I felt particularly enlightened about healthy food ideas after reading.

Enjoy!

a So-So week

A couple of victories to tell you about...

First, I ran the turkey trot 5k on Thanksgiving morning and I finished in 36 minutes and 16 seconds, that is 2 minutes faster than my last 5K at the end of September. I was very happy with my time.

Second, I ran a 10k route 3 more times so I am considering that "hot 100" goal accomplished. Yippee!

The setbacks...

I didn't work out nearly as much as I should have this week running twice and taking one Zumba class. This wouldn't have been a big deal if it hadn't also been Thanksgiving week. I ate way too much on Thanksgiving and then had leftover stuffing and yams on Saturday (I threw away the leftover pie). Stepping on the scale Sunday morning I was prepared to see a gain. I gained a pound this week putting me at 199.8.

Today is the start of new week and my goal is to get rid of that extra pound plus a couple more.

The Hot 100 goals are going well...
I completed a 10k run 4 times and my weight is currently under 200 pounds (if ever so slightly under) so all I have to do is keep it under 200 and I can consider my Hot 100 goals completed.

Weigh-in Week 20

Last week was 202.4 and I was crossing my fingers to get into the 100's this week and I did. YIPPEE! 198.8 pounds showed up on my scale this morning, that is a 3.6 pound loss this week. I have really increased my workouts in the past couple weeks and it sure is paying off on the scale.

This week however is going to be a little different, and my goal this week is not to gain any weight. This is my long work week so fewer hours to exercise but I do plan on attending at least 1 zumba class and I am running the 5K Turkey Trot at the YMCA on Thanksgiving morning, add a couple more runs scattered through the week and I think I have an acceptable workout schedule. But then of course there is Thanksgiving and on Saturday I am helping my sister give a baby shower for one of her friends (both of which will revolve around good food).

Why do we do that? Why do celebrations always involve food? Case in point... at work we have had these rail cars filled with hazardous waste on our lot for a long time. We got a grant from the state to help pay for cleaning and disposal. On Friday they finally hauled the cars away. Afterward I get a call from the offices telling me to come down to the cafeteria and celebrate by having cake and ice cream. Cake and ice cream to celebrate waste disposal? Or should it be waist disposal?

The Hot 100 goals...
#1... be less than 200 pounds. Made it! Now I just have to keep it off between Thanksgiving and New Year and that goal is as good as done.

#2... run a full 10K, I have a 10K route and have been running/walking it once a week. This week with my 5 minute warm-up and cool down I did run the entire thing in 1 hour and 20 minutes. But I am not going to call this one finished until I run it a couple more times.

Week 19

Weigh-in day once again. With such a great week of working out I was anxious to get on the scale this morning... 202.4 (a four pound loss!!!). This was a bigger loss than I expected, ever since hitting 210 (and a size 16) my weight loss seemed to go from 5 pounds a week to 2 pounds a week. So four pounds this week was very exciting. It is also exciting because it marks a 60 pound weight loss mark, it makes my BMI 29.9 which makes me overweight instead of obese, and it puts me just 2.5 pounds away from being in the 100's (maybe next week???).

I have noticed this week that the size 18 jeans are getting too big to wear, I had to keep pulling up my pants at work last night. It may be time to donate those pants too. :) I also need to get to the thrift store and find some size 14 jeans.

Hot 100 goals
Just 2.4 pounds away from being 200 pounds.
Ran/Walked a 10k this week and will try it again on Wednesday.

Weigh-in Monday

On "The Biggest Loser" everyone has those weeks when you step on the scale and the number is much higher than you would like... and often higher than you deserve. They stand on the scale and shake their heads saying, "I don't know what I did wrong." This morning I weighed in a day late because I was away for the weekend. When I stood on the scale it showed a one pound loss. I would like to say I could stand on the scale and shake my head like a Biggest Loser contestant but in reality I knew I wouldn't lose much this week for a couple reasons. First, planned exercise was detoured twice once to watch my niece (totally worth it) and the second time for a job interview (not sure if it was worth it yet). Secondly, I went out to eat with a work friend once this week and went out to eat twice this weekend. Lastly, it was Halloween and I did have a Reese's Peanut Butter cup from the Trick-or-Treater stash. On the positive side while I was away this weekend I got up earlier than my friend on both days and set my ipod to count down 5 miles. So I was away for the weekend but I made sure I kept up with my workouts even though we had a couple late nights. Also, I think I am getting better about ordering at restaurants and making healthier choices without even thinking much about it. All in all, when I got on the scale this morning I knew I wouldn't see a four pound lose this week and in reality I don't feel bad about losing one pound... I actually think it was a pretty successful week.

The Hot 100 goals are still going along well... However this week I am working days and I think I might do shorter runs because I have some new speed interval music I downloaded because I want to improve my pace a little before the Turkey Trot run on Thanksgiving morning. More updates on running will be coming soon.

Have a good Monday!

Weigh-in Day

I must say I have been a terrible blogger lately. I haven't posted since Monday but I have been reading - I promise. I have just had some things (unrelated to weight) on my mind this week. A couple weeks ago I, quite accidentally, came across a job posting for a position I think I would really like but it would involve moving to an even smaller, more northern town. I thought about it for about 1/2 a day and decided to apply anyway... hey maybe they wouldn't even call and then at least I can say I tried. Well this week they called for an interview. Just to set the scene; I enjoyed living in the city and I hadn't planned on moving back to the "North Woods" of Wisconsin but things just happened that way. Really, I am perfectly happy here and I don't regret trading concerts and vegetarian restaurants for more time with my family. Right now I don't see much of a trade off in moving further north. I told one of my Milwaukee friends about the job and he asked, "There is something north of you besides Canada?" I go back and forth between praying I don't get the job and excitement about having a different job (aka making more $).

Anyway, that is what has been on my mind while I was MIA this week just to reassure anyone who suspected I was elbow deep in a turtle cheesecake or something like that.

This weeks weigh-in was good... 209.8, a 3.8 pound loss.

Next week I am going to Milwaukee for Halloween. Hopefully I can keep up the diet over Halloween.

Hot 100 goals are still going strong... only 9.8 pounds to go before I weigh less than 200, that's exciting!
I am planning on running 4.5 miles again this week but am planning an increase to 5 miles next week. 6.2 miles here I come!

Weigh in Day: Week 15

I have been feeling extra vigilant this week about not eating sweets and getting my workouts done everyday. I wish I could say this comes from my own determination but really I think it is coming from fear. This is the time of the year when (in past experience) I give up on the weight loss and start eating my own weight in Holiday cookies. The vigilance paid off (whatever the reason is) because I lost 4 pounds this week, that puts me at 213.6 - drum roll please - that means I made the 50 pounds gone mark! Please excuse my while I dance around the room...

Ok... I'm back.

Accounting for the Hot 100!

Goal #1: Be 200 pounds or less by the end of the year (that is a 2 pound a week loss). Still doing good on that one... only 13.6 pounds to go.

Goal #2: Be able to run 10K. I increased to 4.5 miles this week and my pace didn't change, I am so happy with that.

Weigh in Day: Week 14

Is it really week 14? It doesn't seem like I have been here that long. I can definitely see the results and sometimes when I walk past a mirror or window and catch a glimpse of myself from a different angle I have to stop for a second and admire.

Sometimes life gets in the way of plans.. for some reason this week at work things just kept breaking. I had planned on running 6 days but the one night I ended up at work for several extra hours because of faulty GC method, and after working 15 hours all I could think about was food and bed. Then the next day was so stressful that when one of the guys suggested a night out with the crew I just couldn't resist the fun. So my plan of 6 days fell to 4 days. But... I really don't feel all that bad about it.

This week was not the best in exercise or food but the scale was still my friend and I lost 2 pounds so that puts me at 217.6.

This week I am off from work so running and/or Zumba every day! I am really loving Zumba now that I know the routines.

Weigh in Day: Week 13

I did my weigh-in first thing this morning... 219.6 pounds (that's a 3.8 pound loss this week). Something about that number makes me giddy. I don't know what it is... maybe it just seems so much closer to the hundreds.

Accounting for the "Hot 100" goals:

Goal #1: Be 200 pounds or less by the end of the year (that is a 2 pound a week loss). Still doing good on that one... only 19.6 pounds to go.

Goal #2: Be able to run 10K. I increased my run by 1/2 mile this week (3.5 to 4 miles) and my average pace went way up, the last mile seems really long. However, I have decreased my average pace every day so I figure I will give it a couple weeks and increase another 1/2 mile.

Week 12

Today is weigh-in day... and the scale said 223.4 pounds that is a 3.4 pound loss. That also means that I hit the "40 pounds gone" mark today (40.6 to be exact). How exciting is that? I have also decided to use my weigh-in day as a reminder to account for my "Hot 100" goals for the end of the year.

Goal #1: Be 200 pounds or less by the end of the year (that is a 2 pound a week loss). Doing good on that one so far.

Goal #2: Be able to run 10K. I ran 5k yesterday and I am planning on expanding my morning runs from 3.5 to 4 miles in the next week.

So far so good!

Squash and weigh-in

I did my weigh-in this morning, for those of you keeping track it is a day late. Yesterday I had a rather strange scale experience. When I got home from work I had a headache, I used to get them all the time but hadn't had one in over a year so I was surprised by it. I got on the scale and it said 224 pounds. I was not expecting to lose over five pounds this week so I got off the scale thinking perhaps there was an error, so I tried it again, and again it said 224. I wondered if I was dehydrated. I tried to think of the last time I had some water and the last time I could remember drinking water was at least 12 hours prior. I thought that would explain my headache too. So I didn't count that weigh-in, instead I drank some water and went to sleep. I made sure I stayed hydrated today and did a weigh-in again this morning. It was 226.8, that's more like I expected, a three pound loss (seems to be the trend I have had lately). So that is the one I am counting this week. With the three pound loss I also tried on the size 18 jeans I had from the last time I lost weight and they fit! Yippee! I am wearing them to work tonight.

What do you think; can being dehydrated cause a 3 pound difference in your weight?

Today I also made spaghetti squash... first I went to the thrift store to find a small baking dish (all I have are big ones). So about 31 dollars later after I also found a pair of pants, a measuring cup, some toys for my niece and a very cool cake stand I also had my baking dish. Now that I had my two serving size baking dish I went home to prepare my first spaghetti squash meal. I layered the squash, a low-fat cheese mixture, and marina sauce in three layers (kind of like lasagna) and baked it for 30 minutes. I wasn't sure what to expect. I have had squash before and it always seemed to be more of a sweet taste, but that could have been the butter, brown sugar and marshmallow fluff. I wasn't sure what to expect. When I took it out of the oven it looked beautiful. I served up half with a side of salad. It was delicious. I will definitely be trying more things with spaghetti squash.

Weigh-in Day - a day early

I decided to weigh-in a day early because I am leaving town for the weekend and do not plan on traveling with my scale. The results this week... 229.8, that is a 3.2 loss for the week and a total loss of 34.2 pounds. :-)

I had a fun day with my family yesterday celebrating my birthday... we went to lunch at my favorite place. If you ever find yourself in Marinette Wisconsin (I am not sure why you would, but if you do) stop at Blue Bike Burrito it is very yummy and not only that but the guys who own it will let you do anything you want with the menu, so being on a special diet isn't a problem. You want grilled veggies on a taco shell with salsa and beans? No problem! Even though no one in their right mind would eat a taco that way, but then again, I have never claimed to be in my right mind. In the photos you can see two of my gifts, a hat that I can wear running when the weather turns cold and a beautiful bouquet of flowers from my sisters garden.

It was a lovely day. I hope you are having a lovely day too.

Week 9

Today was another weigh-in day... 233 pounds, a 3.2 pound loss from last week and a 31 pound loss total. I made the 30 pounds lost mark! Yippee!

A happy start to the day although it was a slow start to the day.

This morning I was less than ambitious when I opened my eyes and saw 6:30 in red illuminated numbers on my alarm clock. I was supposed to get up and run by 7:00 o'clock but that didn't really seem all that appealing as I laid curled up and cozy under my comforter. I did some quick reasoning with myself trying to think as many reasons as possible why it was acceptable, even preferable to stay in bed and have a lazy Sunday morning. Well let me just say it wasn't a hard sell and I drifted off to sleep promising myself that whatever time it was that I finally got out of bed I would run. The next time I opened my eyes the clock was telling me it was 9:00... ok that's late. I got out of bed and feed the cats and did my weigh in and checked my email and on and on. By the time I put on my running shoes it was almost 10:00. As is typically the case there was a price to pay for my procrastination. The sun was high in the sky and with was getting warm outside, I hate running when it's hot. There was quite a bit of traffic especially at the park I run through (when I run early I typically have the place to myself), I hate waiting for traffic at the corners. There were people everywhere, walking dogs, kids on bikes, and couples out for a stroll, I really prefer the solitude of morning runs. I will have to remember how much nicer it is to run early the next time I don't want to get out of bed.

Is it really week 8?

On my run this morning I had to wear a long sleeve shirt and long pants. Does this mean summer is almost over? I am not sure I am ready for fall.

Today is week 8 weigh-in... 236.2, a 2.8 pound loss this week.

Have a spectacular day!

Scale nightmares

I am back in the Midwest after spending ten days on the Pacific coast (see photo of the Pacific Ocean at Third Beach). I would say I did ok on my diet... not great, but ok. In restaurants I ordered the food that was the healthiest, asking for salads as a substitute for fries, nixing the cheese on omelets and the mayo on sandwiches. I didn't eat any sweets or fried foods. However, I still had a feeling that I was going to gain some weight because I did have some potato salad and a couple other salads that were mayo based and I have been trying to avoid oil and mayo lately. My aunt made such great breakfasts, lunches and dinners including panacakes, muffins and creamy salads. I was definetly eating more than I had been in the past six weeks. I started getting concerned about the scale the last two days of my trip, so much so that I had dreams about getting on the scale both nights. They involved getting on the scale and realizing I had regained all the weight I lost or weighing more. These dreams may have had more of an impact than I thought because I was somewhat afraid to step on the scale this morning. My hands were even shaking a bit. I knew it wouldn't be as bad as my scale nightmares but I was still nervous. I finally bit the bullet and hopped on the scale, and I did gain a little weight I am at 139.0... that is a 1.2 pound gain over ten days ago. I guess I still have a lot to learn about eating healthy at restaurants, but I am sure I can loss that in no time.

The scale is one crazy beast

This is my pre-vacation week so between working days and attempting to get everything ready for vacation I really haven't been all that active... running a few times, walking around town, and my job keeps me moving quite a bit. I did, however, feel like my weigh-in this morning was going to be less than spectacular. I was so surprised to see 237.8 appear on the scale this morning. That is a 5.6 pound loss. What? How did that even happen? I am not sure but I am going to enjoy it none the less. This means I have met my mini goal of 240 pounds almost a month early (giddy laughter).

The scale is one crazy beast.

I am leaving for my vacation today so I won't be posting until I get back (in 10 days) but hopefully I will have some gorgeous rain forest photos to pretty up my blog a bit.

Weigh in Day Again

I feel like I had a pretty good week, I ran most days and I think I ate pretty well. So first thing this morning I was excited to get on the scale and the results were good, 243.4 pounds... that means 4.2 pounds gone this week. That also means I only have 3.4 pounds to loss to meet my mini birthday goal weight. I am feeling pretty confident I will complete that goal early and start focusing on my next goal.

The biggest challenge facing me in the up coming weeks is my vacation. I will be gone for 10 days to Washington State/Olympic Park. I am still planning on running in the mornings and I signed up to run a 5K in Washington on one of the weekends. Plus I plan on doing some hiking so I am not too concerned about getting enough enough exercise. I am more concerned that I will be able to stick to a healthy diet.

Anyone out there have some words of wisdom for me about dieting and vacations?

Weigh-in Day

It's Sunday again so I jumped on the scale first thing this morning... and I lost 2.6 pounds this week. That is just about on target and at 247.6 pounds I am feeling pretty confident that I will make the Birthday "mini goal" of 240 pounds (that is 7.6 pounds to lose in just over 5 weeks). Now I just have to decide what I am going to do to celebrate. Any suggestions?

You may have noticed (well I have) that my weight loss has been kind of up and down... the first week there was a 5 pound loss, Week two was only 1 pound, week three was the 7 pound loss and this week a two pound loss. Don't get me wrong I am not disappointed with any of these numbers a loss is a loss and I am happy it's gone. But I think I have figured something out about my activity level and my job. I work a rotating shift... days one week, nights the next. The weeks that I work nights I am a lot more active and I think that makes all the difference. I get to run when I get home from work at 6am and it's cool and it's quiet as compared to running when I am done with work on days, it is hot and muggy (although it's been fairly cool this week) and I have to share the bike path with bikes, roller bladers, walkers and runners. I like the solitude of running in the morning and I enjoy it much less when I run at night. I was going to try the gym last night only to find out it closes early on Saturday... oh well tomorrow is another day.

Weigh in Day

Week three weigh-in...

Just to recap, starting weigh 264, week 1 259, week 2 258.

I got on the scale this morning and was pleasantly surprised... 250.2.
That means 7.8 pounds vanished this week!
What a great way to start the week!